Heavyweight fighter meets Shakespeare in play

Sunday

Nov 25, 2007 at 12:01 AMNov 25, 2007 at 6:22 PM

Who would have thought of juxtaposing world heavyweight boxing champion Gene Tunney and the world's greatest playwright William Shakespeare? The very idea is intriguing and raises a host of questions that are best answered by seeing the play "Tunney/Shakespeare in Six Rounds," playing at the Merrimack in Lowell.

David Brooks Andrews

There's nothing quite like an author juxtaposing two seemingly unrelated elements, only to show that they are more related than we thought possible.

This is exactly what first-time playwright David E. Lane does in his play "Tunney/Shakespeare in Six Rounds." Who would have thought of juxtaposing world heavyweight boxing champion Gene Tunney and the world's greatest playwright William Shakespeare? The very idea is intriguing and raises a whole host of questions that are best answered by seeing the play.

The play is based on the fact that on April 23, 1928, Tunney spoke to William Lyon Phelps' class at Yale University about Shakespeare -- how the Bard helped him prepare for his fights and how he changed his life. More than 500 students, sports fans and journalists showed up for the lecture, which was reported in newspapers around the world.

Jack Wetherall, who played the title role of "The Elephant Man" on Broadway, came across Lane's script and approached the artistic director of the Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Charles Towers, about the possibility of producing the one-man show. As a result, Merrimack Rep is now giving "Tunney/Shakespeare" its world premiere.

Ironically, the very event that inspired Lane to write the play also becomes something of the play's shackles. Lane took dramatic license with Tunney's 45-minute lecture at Yale and structured the play as six separate lectures (actually five of them were performed on opening night). It's a safe, manageable structure for a first-time playwright -- and in that sense it's not a bad decision -- but it drastically limits the fluidity and spontaneity of the play. It feels more like a lecture, albeit a dramatized one, than a play with all of its life and freedom.

We don't usually go to the theater to hear a lecture. But if you are prepared for a dramatized lecture and its constraints, the play has its strengths and pleasures.

One of those pleasures for anyone who loves literature is Tunney's conviction that Shakespeare's plays have the power to changes lives, as they changed his. In the first lecture, Wetherall as Tunney tells how he first became acquainted with Shakespeare. It's one of the more engaging sections of the play.

Tunney was a Marine sailing to Europe during World War I when he noticed his cabinmate had packed two books, Shakespeare's plays "The Winter's Tale" and "Julius Caesar" and was intending to carry them on their march, when "every ounce feels like a ton." "What two books would you carry to the trenches?" Tunney asks.

When his cabinmate owes him a favor, Tunney asks for "Winter's Tale." He can't make sense of the play and returns it claiming that it's about nothing. "Is leaning cheek to cheek nothing?" asks the cabinmate. "Is skulking in corners nothing? If this is nothing, then the sky is nothing." It's a lovely passage, underscoring that the play is about the beauty of the moment. It's an irresistible story for anyone who loves the promise of literature.

Tunney kept the play and spent months trying to memorize every line of it in order to better understand it. It led to him reading Shakespeare before his boxing matches to help him relax, and he claims that reading Shakespeare led to a much richer life after his boxing career than most boxers ever had. He went on to become a successful businessman.

He draws on Shakespeare to talk about his philosophy of life and theater - how theater tricks us into seeing ourselves, the value of silence between words and the importance of visualizing what we want. And he draws on Shakespeare to talk about how he won in the ring.

One of the most fascinating segments involves his drawing on "Romeo and Juliet" to analyze how he won his second match with Jack Dempsey, the fight that will always be in some doubt because the referee mishandled the count, allowing Tunney four extra seconds to get back on his feet after Dempsey knocked him down. The film clips of this and another fight help the play immeasurably.

Wetherall gives a direct and honest performance as Gene Tunney. One wishes there was more vocal and emotional range to his acting at times, but this may have more to do with the limitations of the script than anything. He delivers the Shakespearean passages that are woven into the text with passion, although some of them feel a bit rhetorical and could use more specificity.

The spare set consists of a chair at center stage with a screen for the film clips behind it and four desks on each side of the stage to give the sense of a lecture hall.

Merrimack Rep is to be commended for staging new plays, but it can be something of a risky venture. "Tunney/Shakespeare" is probably just about right for a school class that would find it fresher than an ordinary lecture. But for those expecting an evening's entertainment, it may see a bit starchy and didactic. Even so, with a little patience, it has its rewards.

"Tunney/Shakespeare in Six Rounds"

Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Lowell

Through Dec. 9

Tickets: $26-$56

Call: 978-654-4678, www.merrimackrep.org

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